dress-up
dress-up — noun
1. An activity, especially for children aged three to ten, in which you put on cost
An activity, especially for children aged three to ten, in which you put on costumes, fancy clothes, or accessories and pretend to be a different person, animal, or character — for example, a cowboy, a princess, or a superhero.
The kindergarten classroom had a big box of old hats and jackets for dress-up.
collocation: dress-up box / basket / corner
Sumin spent the whole rainy afternoon doing dress-up with her cousins.
collocation: do / play dress-up
Romi's son loves dress-up — last week he was a firefighter, and today he is a dinosaur.
The toy shop sells dress-up sets with capes, masks, and plastic swords.
collocation: dress-up set
On rainy days the twins would play dress-up in their grandmother's old silk scarves and jewellery.
- dress-up box
- dress-up set
- dress-up clothes
- play dress-up
- dress-up game
- costume play
more specific; refers to acting in character, not just wearing the clothes
- make-believe
broader; includes imaginary scenarios without costumes
- role-play
more structured; often used in classroom or therapy settings
Grammar Patterns
play dress-up
a dress-up game / set / box
Usage Note
Used mostly in the context of children's imaginative play. The hyphenated noun 'dress-up' is different from the two-word verb phrase 'dress up' (to put on formal clothes). Can be uncountable ('they love dress-up') or countable ('a fun dress-up').
Common Mistakes
dress-up — phrasal verb
- dress-upbase form
- dress-ups3rd person singular
- dress-upping-ing form
- dress-uppedpast simple
1. To put on smarter or more formal clothing than what you normally wear, typically
To put on smarter or more formal clothing than what you normally wear, typically for a wedding, a party, a job interview, a dinner at a nice restaurant, or another event where a polished appearance is expected.
All the guests dressed up for the wedding in suits and long gowns.
dress up + for [occasion]
We do not need to dress up — it is just a casual barbecue in the park.
negative: don't need to / don't have to dress up
Megan always dresses up when she goes to the theatre in the city.
You should dress up a little for the interview — first impressions matter.
Ravindra dressed up in a dark suit and a red silk tie for the ceremony.
dress up in [specific clothing]
- dress up for
- dress up in
- get dressed up
- all dressed up
- put on formal attire
more formal and literal; describes the action without the idiomatic flavour
- smarten up
British; suggests making one's existing clothes neater rather than fully changing
- get dolled up
informal; used especially for women wearing makeup and glamorous clothes
- dress down
to wear very casual clothes, sometimes allowed at work on a designated day
Grammar Patterns
dress up for [occasion]
dress up in [clothing]
dress up as [person/role] (formal)
Usage Note
Opposite: 'dress down' (to wear casual clothes). Frequently appears in the continuous form: 'they are getting dressed up.' Can also be used in commands: 'Dress up — it is a fancy restaurant.'
Common Mistakes
2. To put on a costume or unusual clothing in order to pretend you are someone or s
To put on a costume or unusual clothing in order to pretend you are someone or something else, done for fun at Halloween, fancy-dress parties, school plays, or carnival celebrations.
The children dressed up as pirates and searched the backyard for treasure.
dress up as [character/role]
For Halloween, Chidi dressed up as a friendly ghost using a white sheet with eye holes.
The actors dressed up in heavy eighteenth-century gowns for the historical play.
dress up in [period clothing]
Yael dressed up as a doctor and spent the afternoon checking her teddy bears with a toy stethoscope.
My little brother loves to dress up in his dinosaur costume and roar at everyone.
- dress up as
- dress up in
- dress up for Halloween
- fancy dress
- put on a costume
more literal; focuses on the garment rather than the pretending
- masquerade
formal or literary; can mean either to wear a disguise or to pretend falsely
- disguise oneself
implies hiding your identity, not just dressing up for fun
Grammar Patterns
dress up as [character / animal / profession]
dress up in [costume / clothing]
Usage Note
Nearly always followed by 'as' plus a character, profession, or type ('dress up as a clown'). The preposition 'in' introduces the specific clothing or fabric ('dress up in a velvet cape'). For the adult social-meaning equivalent (wearing formal clothes), see the separate sense phrasal verb/1.
Common Mistakes
3. To give something a more impressive or appealing description or appearance than
To give something a more impressive or appealing description or appearance than it genuinely deserves, often by choosing flattering language or decorative details — for instance, calling an ordinary dish a 'gourmet creation' or rebranding a fee increase as a 'service adjustment.'
The report dressed up the company losses as a temporary financial adjustment.
dress up + [noun] + as + [noun]
A clever advertisement can dress up a plain cereal as a nutritious breakfast for athletes.
The politician tried to dress up the tax increase as an investment in future schools.
The Chen family dressed up the old sofa by adding new cushions and a decorative throw blanket.
dress up + [noun] = improve appearance physically
Emre's speech dressed up a simple budget report as a bold vision for the company's future.
- dress up as
- dress up to look
- be dressed up as/like
- glamorize
focuses on making something seem more exciting or attractive
- embellish
can be neutral or negative; adding true but minor details or exaggerating
- sugar-coat
informal; making bad news seem less unpleasant
- whitewash
strongly negative; hiding serious problems or crimes
- expose
to reveal the truth about something that was dressed up
- strip down
to remove decorative additions and show the plain facts
Grammar Patterns
dress up + [noun] + as + [noun]
dress up + [noun] + to-infinitive
be dressed up as/like [something]
Usage Note
Has a mildly negative connotation — it suggests the presentation is misleading or hides the truth. Compare 'embellish' (add decorative details, not necessarily dishonest) and 'sugar-coat' (make unpleasant news easier to hear). The physical-improvement sense ('dress up a room with flowers') is less negative.
Common Mistakes
dress-up — verb
- dress-uppresent simple I / you / we / they
- dress-ups3rd person singular
- dress-upping-ing form
- dress-uppedpast simple
1. To put someone, especially a child or someone who cannot dress themselves, into
To put someone, especially a child or someone who cannot dress themselves, into their finest or most formal clothing for a special occasion such as a wedding, a school concert, or a holiday gathering.
João dressed up his little niece in a white dress for her first piano recital.
dress up + person + in + clothing
Anya dressed up her son in a bow tie and a tiny jacket for the family photo.
The hotel staff dressed up the ballroom with gold tablecloths and crystal chandeliers.
dress up + [place] = decorate formally
The children were all dressed up in new clothes for the New Year's celebration.
passive: be dressed up
Stefan dressed up the garden with fairy lights and paper lanterns for the party.
- dress up in
- dress up for
- dress someone up
- all dressed up
- strip down
to remove formal or decorative elements
- dress down
to make someone wear casual clothes instead of formal ones
Grammar Patterns
dress + [person] + up
dress up + [person]
dress + [place/thing] + up
be dressed up
Usage Note
Distinguish from the intransitive phrasal verb 'dress up' (sense phrasal verb/1), where the subject dresses themselves. In this verb sense, the subject acts on someone or something else. The object can be a person ('dress the children up') or a physical space/thing ('dress up the room').
Common Mistakes
2. To put someone in clothing that matches a specific character, job, animal, or ti
To put someone in clothing that matches a specific character, job, animal, or time period, often for a party, a school play, Halloween, or a themed celebration.
The teacher dressed up the children as farm animals for the school play.
dress up + person + as + role
Iker dressed up his little brother as a robot using cardboard boxes and aluminium foil.
The museum guide was dressed up in colonial clothing to show visitors how people lived in the 1700s.
passive: be dressed up in [period clothing]
For the themed party the host dressed up every guest as a character from the 1920s.
Putri dressed up her daughter as a bumblebee with yellow and black striped tights.
- dress up as
- dress up in
- dress up for
- be dressed up as
Grammar Patterns
dress + [person] + up + as + [role]
dress + [person] + up + in + [costume]
be dressed up as [character]
Usage Note
The preposition 'as' introduces the role or character being portrayed ('as a princess'), while 'in' introduces the specific clothing ('in a velvet cape'). The passive form ('the children were dressed up as pirates') is very common. For the intransitive equivalent (dressing oneself in a costume), see phrasal verb/2.
Common Mistakes
3. To change the appearance, description, or packaging of something so that it look
To change the appearance, description, or packaging of something so that it looks or sounds better, more exciting, or more valuable than it really is, often in a way that is slightly dishonest.
The chef dressed up a simple vegetable soup by adding edible flowers and gold leaf.
Real estate agents often dress up a dark apartment with mirrors to make it feel larger.
The restaurant dressed up ordinary pasta by giving it a French name on the menu.
Big companies dress up their old products as new inventions with fresh labels and higher prices.
dress up + [noun] + as + [noun] (presentation/deception)
Layla dressed up her short story with fancy vocabulary to impress her teacher.
- dress up as
- dress up with
- dress up to look
Grammar Patterns
dress + [noun] + up
dress up + [noun]
dress + [noun] + up + as + [noun]
Usage Note
Overlaps partially with phrasal verb/3 (MAKE SEEM BETTER). The difference is subtle: this verb sense can include physical decorating (adding flowers, mirrors) whereas the phrasal verb sense is almost entirely about abstract presentation (language, labels, framing). Both can carry a critical tone.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: phrasal verb/1
The main contrast between these phrases lies in formality level and register. 'Dress up' is the most general and neutral — it works for any situation where you wear smarter clothes than usual, from a job interview to a wedding. 'Smarten up' (chiefly British) suggests making your existing clothes neater and more presentable rather than changing into something entirely different. 'Get dolled up' is informal and often playful, used especially for women wearing makeup, styled hair, and glamorous clothes for a night out. As the opposite end of the spectrum, 'dress down' means to wear very casual clothes, often on a designated casual day at work. For example: 'The staff were told to dress up for the award ceremony, but on Fridays they are allowed to dress down and wear jeans.'
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'dress-up' combines the verb 'dress' (from Old French 'drecier' or 'dresser,' meaning 'to arrange, set straight, put in order') with the intensifying adverb 'up,' which adds the sense of 'to completion' or 'to a higher standard.' The two-word verb phrase 'dress up' has been used since the 1600s, originally meaning 'to put on armour' and later broadening to 'put on formal clothes.' The hyphenated noun 'dress-up' (the children's activity) emerged in the late 1800s, as middle-class children's costume play became a recognised form of imaginative recreation.